The Duchess of Cambridge is in the early stages of labour and was admitted to hospital at just before 6am today as she prepares to give birth to the future king or queen.

Prince William is with his wife at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London, where he himself was born in 1982.

Palace officials chose to make the announcement that Kate has gone into labour public in an attempt to balance her ‘dignity’ with the fact that social media makes it almost impossible to keep her baby's imminent arrival a secret.

'The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted this morning to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labour,' a royal spokesman said.

'The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing with The Duke of Cambridge'.

In labour: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, pictured together for the last time publicly last month, will soon become parents as Kate has been taken to hospital as she went into labour

Security: Police patrol outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in London as the Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to the hospital in the early stages of labour

The couple’s child will become third in the line of succession, displacing Prince Harry to fourth and the Duke of York to fifth.

As a result of recent, long-anticipated changes in the law, the baby will also be made an HRH (His or Her Royal Highness) and given the title Prince or Princess of Cambridge.

If she is a girl she will, one day, become Queen, just as a boy will become King.

He or she is also destined to become a future head of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England and head of the Commonwealth, which covers 54 nations across the world, and subsequently head of state of 16 countries.

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The last time a still-serving monarch got to meet a great grandchild born in direct succession to the crown was nearly 120 years ago.

Queen Victoria, who reigned until 1901, was still sovereign when her great grandchild Edward VIII, who later abdicated, was born third in line in 1894.

William and Kate’s baby will be the great great great great great grandchild of Queen Victoria and the present Queen’s third great grandchild.

The couple still do not know the sex of their baby, bucking the trend of 75 per cent of British parents who now choose to discover the gender of their child.

Excitement: William and Kate's first child will be the Queen's third great-grandchild. Her husband is by her side

On their way: Carole Middleton, left, is thought to be with her daughter while Kate's sister Pippa, right, is also believed to be heading to hospital to support her sister through labour

Gone quiet: In the run-up to the birth, Kate was last seen officially at the Trooping The Colour parade in mid-June, while Prince William has also kept a low profile since attending a wedding alone on June 22

Taking it easy: The Duchess, her husband and their dog Lupo were given a lift home from Wales by friend Simon Oliphant-Hope in his helicopter on June 25

Sources close to the new royal mother-to-be suggest that she is definitely not ‘too posh to push’ and wants – unless nature intervenes – to opt for a natural birth rather than an elective caesarean section like many celebrity figures.

The Royal Household’s official surgeon-gynaecologist, Alan Farthing, the former fiancé of murdered television presenter Jill Dando, is the consultant gynaecologist at St Mary’s and will be assisting with the labour.

He will be led by the Queen’s own surgeon-gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell.

The joyous arrival of Baby Cambridge will set the seal on an immensely happy - and settled - period for the Royal Family, after several decades dominated by highly public marital strife.

More pertinently, it will be time of immeasurable joy for first-time parents William and Kate, who have made no secret of their desire to start a family.

In an interview to mark their engagement in 2010, Kate said of the importance of family to her: ‘Yes. It's very important to me. And I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves.’

Starting a family: The Duchess of Cambridge, seen on a visit to a children's hospice in Hampshire, is about to become a mother for the first time

When asked about his future plans in the military, William added in an interview last year: ‘More importantly, I'd rather like to have children. So that's the key thing really.’ He also revealed that he would like two children.

It is believed that the Duchess fell pregnant last October, within days of returning home from the couple’s hugely successful Diamond Jubilee tour on behalf of the Queen to Asia and the South Pacific.

Kate was particularly keen to have her family around her as anxious father-to-be William, 30, is on duty in North Wales, where he is still working as a Search and Rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey.

William is said to be determined to make it to the delivery suite, following in the footsteps of his own father who broke royal tradition to be with his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, for the birth of both their children.

As a result, plans have been formulated by palace aides to whisk him down to London by helicopter so he can be present at his son or daughter’s birth.

Previous heirs have been born at home or Buckingham Palace.

Preparations: Kate looked happy as she sat with the Duchess of Cornwall during the final weeks before the birth of her first child

Royal princess? The Duchess of Cambridge names The Royal Princess ship at Southampton in June by smashing a bottle of champagne on its hull

Having a giggle: As the champagne smashed on the ship Kate laughed and jumped a little, and despite her loose coat she couldn't hide how pregnant she was

When the Queen was born in her grandparents’ London home in Mayfair, the home secretary Sir William Joynson-Hicks waited in the next room as part of an age-old custom designed to prevent a substitute baby being smuggled in.

Fortunately, Kate will not have to suffer such ignominy as the birth of the Queen’s cousin, Princess Alexandra in 1936, was the last occasion a home secretary was present.

King George VI declared that a minister was needed only for those in direct line of succession, but by the time Prince Charles was born in 1948 it had been abandoned completely as constitutionally unnecessary.

The Home Secretary is now only required to notify certain officials including the Lord Mayor of London, while the Queen’s Private Secretary Sir Christopher Geidt informs Governor Generals overseas.

MailOnline understands that William himself is likely to phone the Queen before anyone else, even his own father, depending on what time of day the baby is born.

After this call a traditional and dramatic chain of events will be kick-started that will lead to the announcement of the future monarch's birth - following exactly the same process as Prince William's to retain 'the theatre' of a genuine royal occasion.

Growing: Kate is seen waving her 'Baby on Board' badge to the Queen (left) and later (right) in Grimsby at five months pregnant

Bump: The pregnant Catherine visits Hope House in Clapham in February (left), and then a Manchester school on St George's Day (right) when six months pregnant

As soon as the baby is born, a proclamation signed by the doctors who delivered the boy or girl will be rushed from the ward.

The sheet of creamy A4-size Buckingham Palace-headed paper will be brought out of the Lindo’s front entrance by a press officer.

It will then be handed to a waiting driver and driven through the streets of London – escorted by police outriders - to the Privy Purse Door at the front of Buckingham Palace.

There it will then be placed on an easel, last used to announce Prince William’s birth, by the main gates in the palace forecourt.

A palace spokesman explained that the rather theatrical nature of the announcement was crucial to retaining a sense of dignity appropriate for the birth of an heir to the throne.

Same again: On June 22 1982 a sign on an easel was placed at the gates of Buckingham Palace announcing the birth, the previous day, of Prince William. The same will happen this year with his child

Historic: The same easel (left) will be used when the royal baby is born, and will hold the same kind of written announcement placed on display when William Wales came into the world (right)

He said: ‘We wanted to retain some of the theatre of the notice. It is quite important to us that this is done properly and with the degree of dignity that the event demands.

'This is the birth of a child who will be in line to the throne. It is a rare occasion and it is nice to be able to do it with some historical precedence.’

It is understood Kate's mother Carole and sister Pippa had planned to be at the hospital with her.

It is also hoped that William will make a short statement on the steps of the hospital after the good news has been declared – as will the Middletons.

Palace sources have also made clear the birth will not be made public until the Queen and senior members of the royal family have been informed.

The Middletons, in the unlikely event that they are not at the hospital, will also be informed of the birth in advance.

The procedure is to avoid announcing the birth on Twitter.

However if the baby is born between 10.30pm and 8am, the news will be sent out via press release with the easel being erected later that morning, at around 9am.

Loving mother: Diana, the Princess of Wales with her son, Prince William, on her lap at Kensington Palace. Her son and his wife will also hold a similar official shoot after the baby is born

Prince William is due to take just two weeks’ statutory paternity leave - for which he will be paid £136.78 a week - before returning to his normal shift pattern.

His wife, however, will definitely not return with him to their home on Anglesey with the new baby.

A palace spokesman had said that there was ‘still some discussion’ about where Kate and their new-born will be based.

Echoes through time: Charles and Diana showed off their newborn son Prince William to an enthralled nation outside the Lindo Wing in 1982

But the Daily Mail has already revealed that she plans to move in with her parents at their £4.8million Berkshire mansion for around six weeks after William returns to work, as builders are still putting the finishing touches to their new apartment at Kensington Palace.

Contingency plans were also put in place with other hospitals, such as the Royal Berkshire in Reading, on alert in case the Duchess went into labour while visiting her parents.

But as expected Kate was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.

She chose St Mary's Lindo Wing, like the late Princess Diana before her, where a natural birth, staying in a private suite, is likely to cost up to £10,000.

The couple’s choice of the private wing is unsurprising, but nevertheless touching given the link with William’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

William has always, by and large, kept his feelings about his mother close to his chest – aside from admitting he gave Kate her engagement ring as a way of keeping her ‘close to it all’.

He became the first future monarch in history to be born in a hospital when he was delivered there on 21st June 1982, followed by his brother, Harry.

Royal babies past and present: Prince William, seen left and right in the arms of his mother Diana, became the first future monarch in history to be born in a hospital when he was delivered at St Mary's in 1982

The Lindo underwent an extensive refurbishment in June 2012 and now provides what it boasts is the ‘highest quality of care’ for patients experiencing both ‘straightforward’ and complex pregnancies.

All rooms are equipped with satellite television, wi-fi, radio, a safe and a fridge. There is also a bedside telephone, internet access and a team of ‘catering staff’.

The hospital wing even offers its own wine list should patients and their guests wish to enjoy a glass of champagne to celebrate their baby’s arrival.

The internationally renowned Lindo wing - where Princes William and Harry were born - is a dedicated private facility at St Mary's hospital in Paddington, west London (above, file picture of a room in the wing)

The Royal Household’s official surgeon-gynaecologist, Alan Farthing (left), the former fiancé of murdered television presenter Jill Dando, is the consultant gynaecologist at St Mary’s and will be assisting with the labour. He will be led by the Queen’s own surgeon-gynaecologist, Marcus Setchell (right)

The bill for delivery is staggered per 24 hours – with a quick, natural birth costing £4,965. Staying in a suite – as the Duchess is likely to do – would cost an additional £1,000 plus per night on top of that, meaning the delivery could cost up to £10,000.

The child will be known as Prince or Princess, then their first name, followed by the words 'of Cambridge'.

Buckingham Palace say that, as an HRH, the youngster does not require a surname, indeed William and his brother Harry were christened using just their first names.

Its website explains: ‘For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.’

However William has chosen to use the surname Wales professionally in the forces, as has Harry. His children might use Cambridge in the same way, or even Wales, too, as William still retains his title Prince William of Wales as well as that of the Duke of Cambridge.

The good news is that summer babies are thought to be more optimistic than those arriving in winter.

The new third-in-line-to the-throne is likely to be born under the star sign of Cancer, assuming its arrival falls between June 21 and July 22.

Cancerian babies – including Prince William’s late mother who was born on July 1 - are meant to be ‘soft, sensitive and affectionate’ as well as ‘imaginative, kind and gentle souls’.

Press pack: Photographers will be jostling for space outside the private wing of the hospital, where Prince William is expected to make a short statement on the steps once the baby's arrival is officially announced

Anticipation: Photographers have been camped outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital for days in preparation for the arrival of the royal baby

Renowned: The private maternity facility has a fleet of maternity support workers and nursery nurses on hand to support new mothers

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